Monday, March 28, 2011

WOLF SPIRITMetis....District 14, Connecticut
April Newsletter~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Happy Spring everyone! The news says its is Spring but the temperatures are only in the 40's. I am looking for at least 60's!! Then it will feel like Spring. I have Spring fever so bad...I can't wait to get out at the picnic table and enjoy the sun, birds, and warm weather. We have a craft/social every Saturday and it will be so nice to be outside for that!!

Hope your Spring is something you are looking forward to...remember to pray for the ones that can't enjoy it.

Happy Spring again,
Shiakoda~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Body Identified as Missing PersonThe property owner tells us he doubts the body's been there since Roundstone went missing in mid-November. His neighbor, a former law enforcement officer, said he saw the body three weeks before the property owner said he found it this weekend.

The family of Timothy Roundstone began searching for him in mid-November. "I know deep down in my heart that there's something wrong because Timothy wouldn't do this to me," his mother, Linda Caldwell told us at the time.

Monday, months later, county coroners confirmed Caldwell's worst fear. Her son tentatively confirmed dead and found just down the road from the apartment complex where he was last seen.

"When I got over there I wept because what I saw was my son," said Tyrone Jacobsen the property owner. Jacobsen said he saw a body tucked into a corner of his property on Saturday at about noon. He said he immediately recognized Roundstone, and thought of his own son. He said he told Caldwell, "I wish ma'am it were possible for me to give you a piece of my heart."

Jacobsen's neighbor, Jim Garvey, said he saw the body on the cluttered property about three weeks ago as he hung his laundry. He said he just assumed it was a mannequin.

Garvey spent 27 years in California Law Enforcement and has just released his third murder mystery novel. He said he's surprised the extensive search didn't uncover the body. "They came down and started searching the whole neighborhood," he said. "We walked all the way back here," he said pointing to the general area in which the body was found.

Jacobsen said Roundstone was lying face-up with his jacket by his side when he found him. "His skin was perfect," he said, "he was laid out straight as if in a casket at a funeral home."

The coroner said Roundstone died of exposure last November. For a family that's been searching for an answer since Timothy went missing, it's not the one they hoped for.

We spoke with Roundstone's family Monday. They said they're not ready to speak publicly yet.

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Crow roundup of horses smooth operation

By JAN FALSTAD Of The Gazette Staff The Billings Gazette
Monday, March 21, 2011 5:00 pm

A large band of horses formerly owned by James Leachman of Billiings is driven toward holding pens where the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Crow Tribe will identify them and sell them. The 700 horses have been trespassing on tribal lands and private ranches and were impounded by the BIA.
In a colorful roundup on Monday morning, about 50 Crow horsemen spent the day gathering about 700 horses in bands of 80 to 200 and driving them through a gap in the rimrocks toward their last home before they are sold.

The mares and colts trotted, galloped, snorted and whinnied, but willingly followed the lead rider into the wooden pens.

Jay Stovall, 71, who grew up on this land and now owns the former Leachman Cattle Co. ranch 16 miles east of Billings, said the sight was thrilling.

"I've never seen these many horses running out here. This is something to see," he said. "What's important is that the Crow Tribe is handling those horses and doing a wonderful job of it."
Crow Tribal Vice Chairman Calvin Jefferson said everything went smoothly.

"They will be here for about another five days, leaving it for the owner to come and stake claim, give him a chance to redeem them," he said.

Edward Parisian, regional director of the Rocky Mountain region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, said James Leachman of Billings will legally have five days to redeem his horses, if he can pay the costs associated with their care and roundup and the damage that they have caused to the rangeland.

Last year during his bankruptcy hearing, Leachman said he was broke.

With the help of two months of eating 150 tons of donated hay, the horses came back from the brink of starvation last winter. Leachman has pleaded not guilty to 14 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years and $7,000 in fines. His jury trial is scheduled for June 3.

Beginning Thursday, the horses will be sorted by age and gender, identified and have temporary neck bands attached.

The Leachman leg bands, some of them now too tight, will be cut off and their brands inspected.
The horses have been roaming on the Home Place Ranch 16 miles east of Billings, tribal lands and neighboring ranches for several years.

The BIA impounded the horses in early March after serving Leachman with a legal notice that his horses were trespassing on tribal lands and neighboring ranches. In late December, Shepherd veterinarian Jeff Peila first warned that hundreds of the horses trapped in one pasture with no grass were on the verge of mass starvation.

Seven horses were found near death, and four were shot on the recommendation of Peila.

With a smile on his face on Monday morning, the veterinarian said there was only one brown mare so far who needed his help and was limping, apparently with a hoof abscess.

"But there would have been a third of them dead and the rest wouldn't have been strong enough to sell if they hadn't been fed," he said.

The Northern International Livestock Exposition in Billings collected about 500 tons of donated hay and more than $55,000 in cash donations and has been feeding the horses for two months with the help of the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office.

The BIA is paying the tribe $45,000 to round up the horses and feed them until a March 31 sale that could be moved to April 2 and 3.

Memories of the roundup will stay with Jason Shigley, who was shooting video for the Crow Tribe to document the day.

"This is a historic event," he said. "The Crow people are horse people. Everything that has to do with the horse is in our makeup."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Florence A. White Eagle, 63, has been charged with conspiracy to convert tribal credit program proceeds by federal employees, theft from an Indian tribal organization, bribery, concealment of public corruption, public acts affecting a personal financial transaction and misprision of a felony,

The Billings Gazette reported.

Federal prosecutors say White Eagle was part of a scheme that stole more than $1 million from the tribe's loan program over 10 years. Three BIA employees and at least seven other people have been charged in connection with the case.

A wealthy gambler is apparently going to pay the $1.2 million he owes the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut.

Jerome Powers, a Florida millionaire, lost the money while gambling at Mohegan Sun.

The tribe moved to seize his assets but he filed an appeal, claiming the dispute couldn't be heard in the Connecticut court system.

Powers appears to have changed his mind, however. "Jerry is currently in settlement discussions with Mohegan Sun to drop his appeal and pay his gambling obligations in full," a spokesperson for Plum TV, told The New York Post.
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Reservations in South Dakota home to large youth population
Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Eight of the top 10 cities in South Dakota with large youth populations are on reservations, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

On the Pine Ridge Reservation, 43 percent of the population in Oglala is under 18. On the nearby Rosebud Sioux Reservation, 42 percent of the population in Rosebud is under 18.

"I see the higher numbers as a positive because you have a greater chance to influence the future, you have these kids when they're young and willing to learn," Pigeon Big Crow, child care program director for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, told The Rapid City Journal. "I'm excited to see the outcome of all the services we're providing now."

Controversy arose on Feb. 14 after Big Crow was selected the first time when it was discovered that he was not currently an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Francis Pumpkinseed, OST election commission chairman, informed council at that time that he had sent a letter notifying Big Crow of his disqualification as a candidate due to his enrollment status.

A motion was passed after that meeting so council could decide how to proceed with office of treasurer and former treasurer Dean Patton remained in as acting. The other candidates for the offices of secretary, fifth member and sergeant at arms were selected and sworn in at that time.

At the meeting on Monday there was much discussion on how to proceed and there was even talk about having to re-advertise the position of treasurer thereby delaying the process for another two weeks.
However Eagle Nest Council Representative Ruth Brown reprimanded the council and said they needed to stop playing games.

"We are wasting time. We already selected a treasurer and it was over. Whether we like it or not," she said. She made a motion to abide by the OST Constitution and By-Laws which passed and the selection process for the treasurer began.

Big Crow told the council during his interview on Monday that he never received the letter sent by the election commission. He admitted that when he submitted his application that he was not enrolled but was in the process of relinquishing his enrollment from the Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma and that his reenrollment with the Oglala was pending. When asked to produce his CRU number Big Crow sent around his tribal ID as verification.

Eight candidates were interviewed for the position of treasurer including Mason Big Crow, Gerald "Jump" Big Crow, Pamela Giago, David Pourier, Lloyd Goings, Kim Clausen, Fred Brown and Crystal Eagle Elk.
As each candidate was interviewed they were asked the how they would deal with what the Oglala call the "Black Hole" the general fund where most of the tribal assets are deposited. After all was said and done Mason Big Crow was again selected as treasurer beating out the second highest vote getter Pamela Giago, 10 to 8.

The tribe’s newest treasurer said he is happy that the council voted him in and that he would be working with them very closely.

When asked if he was ready to face the challenge of helping his tribe which has been racked by fiscal woes including being on "at risk" status for many of their 638 contract programs straighten up their finances, his reply was positive.

"It’s nothing that we haven’t been already been doing for the past two years. I have been working closely with the acting treasurer Dean Patton and we actually sat down with tribal council and with their approval have been doing what they’ve requested us to do," he said. "It is going to be a tough road but we will get it done."

Stafne is the chairman of the Fort Peck Tribes, and is a rancher who raises cattle and horses. He was unavailable for an interview Wednesday.

The Fort Peck Tribes are a sovereign nation, with their own Fish and Game Commission and separate regulations regarding fishing and hunting on the reservation.

The term of FWP Commissioner Dan Vermillion also expired in December. Schweitzer reappointed Vermillion to the commission.

The Montana Senate will be asked to confirm Stafne's appointment and Vermillion's reappointment.
Schweitzer's office did not respond to a request for a comment on why Doll was not reappointed.

Other FWP commissioners said they did not hear about Stafne's appointment until earlier this week.

"Willie Doll was an outstanding commissioner and he spoke to the rancher and landowner issues with wisdom and intelligence," said Ron Moody, Region 4 FWP Commissioner.

Moody said he does not know Stafne. FWP Commission Chairman Shane Colton of Billings was unavailable for comment.

Doll said he did not hear about not being reappointed or about Stafne's appointment until Friday night, when he received a call from the governor's office.

"It was a surprise and a shock to a lot of people," Doll said Wednesday. "All (the caller) said was, 'Mr. Doll, you have been replaced on the Commission. You are no longer a commissioner.'

"I asked if had done something wrong and she said, 'No, it is Brian's choice' and that was it. It is about as cold and unprofessional as you could get," Doll said.

Stafne joins the Commission in time for the April 14 meeting in Helena.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connecting With Our Animal Spirit Guides
.....Messenger.....Shadow.....Journey.....Lifetime.....
..... DOVE ....

Dove Medicine comes to us to teach us many life lessons, related to home and family. It puts us in touch with our creative energies, and has the ability to stir our emotions. It brings us hope for new beginnings, and can help us with the art of communication, cooperation, compassion, and forgiveness. This medicine can help us learn to "walk between the worlds" of the physical and spiritual.

When Dove Medicine is present in our lives, we are being asked to go within, and try to release any emotional dis-harmonies, whether it be in the past, or in the present. Doves carry the energy of promise, inner-healing, and general healing on all levels, having to do with emotion...physical, mental, and spiritual.

Doves are content when their relationships and home environments are calm and peaceful, and the same is true with the humans who have strong Dove Medicine.

Doves are often easily hunted by predators, as they have very little in the way of defense. A dove person can sometimes appear defenseless, and can often have creative ideas stolen from those who would not care to do their own work, but rather take the easy way out and use these ideas.

Dove people have a sense of innocence about them, which can make them attractive to those who would like to "prey" upon them, and they must realize that not everyone will have their best interests at heart. Flirting can be misconstrued, and they can sometimes easily attract those who would be interested in having them as a proverbial "meal."

Doves tend to breed prolifically, which consistently insures continuation of the species. The males will engage in a mating dance, as they puff up their neck feathers, bob their heads up and down, dance in circles, and coo loudly. They can be totally oblivious to what is actually going on around them. This ability can be helpful, as when highly focused, creativity and productivity are more easily achieved.

Doves are ground-feeders, which signifies a strong connection to the earth. The voice of the dove has been referred to as "The Rain Song," symbolizing that no matter what the current situation is, 'new water' or 'new life' is always possible. Their 'singing' can heard throughout the day, but most especially the first thing in the morning, and the last thing before nightfall, when the veils of the physical and spiritual worlds are very thin. The cooing can sound comforting or very mournful, and your perception at any given time can often mirror energies that are currently present in your own life.

Some other messages Dove Medicine may bring could be the possibility of travel, or relocation to a new home. A new relationship could begin, or an old one possibly rekindled. Perhaps help or assistance is on its way from unexpected sources, in the way of rescue or transformation. It can afford strength in the ability to leave a destructive or difficult life situation. A death may be at hand in the near future, whether it be a physical death of someone close to you, or perhaps a symbolic or a spiritual death, within yourself.

Those with strong Dove Medicine will often seem to find a strong connection with the number "7" and will notice that it appears to them frequently. "7" is a mystical number that sometimes indicates an opening between the physical world and the mystical realm.

Doves are often associated with "Pleiades"...the brightest open constellation in the night sky, also sometimes called "The Seven Sisters." There are many stories that explain how this cluster of stars came to be.

In Greek Mythology, the daughters of Pleione and Atlas were being pursued by Orion for seven years. They finally escaped when Zeus agreed to transform them into Doves. The seven sisters (Asterope, Alcyone, Maia, Electra, Taygete, Celaeno and Merope) flew up into the sky to become the constellation Pleiades.

An Onondaga Legend...

A long time ago a party of Indians went through the woods toward a good hunting-ground, which they had long known. They traveled several days through a very wild country, going on leisurely and camping by the way.

At last they reached Kan-ya-ti-yo, "the beautiful lake," where the gray rocks were crowned with great forest trees. Fish swarmed in the waters, and at every jutting point the deer came down from the hills around to bathe or drink of the lake. On the hills and in the valleys were huge beech and chestnut trees, where squirrels chattered, and bears came to take their morning and evening meals.

The chief of the band was Hah-yah-no, "Tracks in the water," and he halted his party on the lake shore that he might return thanks to the Great Spirit for their safe arrival at this good hunting-ground. "Here will we build our lodges for the winter, and may the Great Spirit, who has prospered us on our way, send us plenty of game, and health and peace." The Indian is always thankful.

The pleasant autumn days passed on. The lodges had been built, and hunting had prospered, when the children took a fancy to dance for their own amusement. They were getting lonesome, having little to do, and so they met daily in a quiet spot by the lake to have what they called their jolly dance. They had done this a long time, when one day a very old man came to them. They had seen no one like him before. He was dressed in white feathers, and his white hair shone like silver. If his appearance was strange, his words were unpleasant as well. He told them they must stop their dancing, or evil would happen to them. Little did the children heed, for they were intent on their sport, and again and again the old man appeared, repeating his warning.

The mere dances did not afford all the enjoyment the children wished, and a little boy, who liked a good dinner, suggested a feast the next time they met. The food must come from their parents, and all these were asked when they returned home. "You will waste and spoil good victuals," said one. "You can eat at home as you should," said another, and so they got nothing at all. Sorry as they were for this, they met and danced as before. A little to eat after each dance would have made them happy indeed. Empty stomachs cause no joy.

One day, as they danced, they found themselves rising little by little into the air, their heads being light through hunger. How this happened they did not know, but one said, "Do not look back, for something strange is taking place." A woman, too, saw them rise, and called them back, but with no effect, for they still rose slowly above the earth. She ran to the camp, and all rushed out with food of every kind, but the children would not return, though their parents called piteously after them. But one would even look back, and he became a falling star. The others reached the sky, and are now what we call the Pleiades, and the Onondagas Oot-kwa-tah. Every falling or shooting star recalls the story, but the seven stars shine on continuously, a pretty band of dancing children...

* Onondaga is an Iroquoian language of the Northeast Woodlands. It has been reported that only about 50 or so Onondaga Elders still speak the language fluently, mostly in Canada. However, on both sides of the Canadian and United States border, there are young people working to keep their ancestral language alive.

Have a Blessed Spring Season!

Dancing-Night-Crow

... Thank You... Shiakoda, for filling in for me and writing last month's "Animal Spirit Guide" story for the "Wolf Spirit Newsletter"...
Taput-Ni !
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Seminole Tribe 'offended' by military comparison to terrorists
Thursday, March 24, 2011

The comparison showed up in a case in the U.S. Court of Military Commissions Review. Government lawyers likened the situation to the treatment of two British men who were hanged in 1818 for helping the Seminoles resist the U.S. military.

"Not only was the Seminole belligerency unlawful, but, much like modern-day al Qaeda, the very way in which the Seminoles waged war against U.S. targets itself violate the customs and usages of war," the brief stated.

The argument drew an angry response from the tribe. "To equate the historic struggle of our ancestors in resisting General Andrew Jackson’s unlawful invasion of our homeland to al Qaeda terrorism is a vicious distortion of well-documented history," general counsel Jim Shore told The Miami Herald.

"The Government’s strained comparison of Native Americans to al Qaeda is disrespectful to our Tribe, all American Indians and our American Indian military veterans, as well as those in active military service," Shore added.

After the National Congress of American Indians complained, government attorneys submitted another brief in which they said they weren't trying to "equates" the behavior of the Seminoles to those of al-Qaeda. The brief also said the government "in no way questions or impugns the valor, bravery and honorable military service of Native Americans, past and present."
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Organizers cancel World Indigenous Nations Games in Canada
Friday, March 25, 2011

The games were to take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2012. But organizers weren't able to secure government funding and they ran into logistical problems.

"As time got closer and closer, from a host planning perspective there was obviously a lot of logistical things that need to be looked at — facilities and venues and where to host athletes and house them and those kinds of things," Jeff Hnatiuk, chair of the WIN games steering committee, told CBC News.
The event was to take place over 10 days.
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Oglala Sioux activist being held without bond for elder protest
Friday, March 25, 2011

Duane Martin Sr. of the Strong Heart Warrior Society is being held without bond in connection with a protest against the elderly meals program of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

Martin's first bond hearing was March 18 but he wasn't present. The tribe's detention facility apparently failed to release him for the hearing and he was denied bond after tribal prosecutors said he posed a threat to the community.

Martin's supporters are asking a tribal judge to reconsider the bond request. He is facing charges of criminal trespass, breaking and entering, rioting, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and elder abuse.

Martin was the only person arrested for the ongoing occupation of the building that houses the elder meals program. Activists are accusing the staff of elder abuse, denying meals, keeping unsanitary conditions and serving undercooked food.
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Al Jazeera: Fort Peck Tribes battle to restore bison in Montana
Friday, March 25, 2011

"In the remote northeast corner of Montana on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Robert Magnan has built a fence.

Stretching nearly 42 kilometers across more than 2,000 hectares of Montana's snow swept plains, it's taken two years and $200,000 raised by the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of Fort Peck to complete the fence.
Now Magnan waits for the last piece of the plan.

Hundreds of kilometers south of the Fort Peck reservation, where Montana and Wyoming meet in Yellowstone National Park, we find what Magnan is waiting for. Staggeringly large, burly, and grand – bison.
An icon of the country's western wild land. Magnan, who heads up the tribes' Fish and Game Department, hopes that the land enclosed by the fence will one day provide a new home to just a few of the park's iconic bison herd.

Yellowstone's roughly 3,900 bison, also known as buffalo, are the last herd directly descended from the tens of millions of American wild bison that once thundered across the Great Plains.

But the road from Yellowstone to the far reaches of Fort Peck's pasture is so far closed.

Winter in the Rockies is not for the faint of heart. Even for these bison, who have survived the harsh winds and sub-zero climate for seemingly time immemorial, it is an annual rite of survival that now brings tests beyond temperature.

During especially harsh winters – just like this season – bison often leave the park in search of food.
Once they reach the greener grass, they face a new challenge – not winter, but people.

The foraging bison are rounded up into corrals by state livestock authorities riding horse or helicopter and tested for brucellosis. The disease, which can be passed between species, causes livestock to abort their young – a condition that cattle ranchers are understandably not eager to encounter in their herds."
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Google supports Cherokee written language in search engine
Friday, March 25, 2011

You can now search Google using the Cherokee Syllabary, the written Cherokee language.

Translators from the Cherokee Nation worked with the company to add the language and a special Cherokee keyboard to its search engine. The syllabary was developed by Sequoyah in the early 1800s.
"I believe that efforts like those of Google are essential to keeping our language alive," Chief Chad Smith said in a press release. "We have been working hard to get our young people interested in learning our Native tongue but we cannot be successful unless they can read and write in the medium of their era – all the digital devices that are currently so popular."

The Cherokee language can also be used on the Apple iPhone.
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Diane Humetewa named advisor for Arizona State University
Friday, March 25, 2011

Humetewa, who was the first Indian woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney, will help President Michael M. Crow work with tribes. She'll lead the ASU Tribal Liaison Advisory Committee and serve on the Provost’s Native American Advisory Council.

Humetewa also will focus on Indian student retention at ASU. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about eleven (11)
things they did not and will not learn in school.

He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings
created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and
how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem.
The world will expect you to accomplish something
BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.
You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a
boss

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity.
Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping:
They called it opportunity.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as
they are now. They got that way from paying your bills,
cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about
how cool you thought you were.

So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your
parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but
life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.

*This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real
life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers
off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.
*Do that on your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life.
In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to
jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds.
Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you can read this... Thank a Teacher.
If you can read this in America... Thank a Soldier!
And for life and everything else you have... Thank God!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The sacred fire used to heat the rocks represents the eternal fire that burns at the center of the universe." -- Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani), LAKOTA Our Sweat Lodge represents the womb of Mother Earth. This is the place of forgiveness. The altar is the place where the Grandfathers are heated. The Sweat Lodge and the altar represent the whole story of the universe. The Sweat Lodge and the ceremonies are sacred. The Great Spirit gave these things to us to help us. He taught us to do the ceremonies in harmony with Mother Earth. We need to know and understand these things.

All are Marines that gave their lives for YOU this week.
Please honor THEM by forwarding this.
Thank you, Jerry Halt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Editorial: IHS bars media from tribal meeting in South Dakota
Friday, March 25, 2011

"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Indian Health Service, met this week with tribal leaders from an eight-state region. IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux attended the meetings, but a spokesman for her office said it was not Roubideaux' decision to close the meeting.

An official from Health and Human Services said the meeting was closed at the request of tribal leaders. It's unfortunate that the reticence of some tribal leaders prevailed. It's also unfortunate that HHS and IHS officials didn't do more to convince tribal leaders of the value of open meetings.

Merle St. Claire, tribal chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, said public input about problems at IHS is needed.

He accused federal officials of paying lip service to tribal complaints, and said they would have accomplished more for Native people if the meetings had been opened to the public.

"They're jumping through hoops to make it look like they're doing something," he said. "Tribal members, non-tribal members, and the press should have been involved."

Indian tribes are sovereign nations that aren't obligated to comply with federal open meeting laws. But we can't help but wonder if federal officials had their own reasons for shutting out the media. Tribal leaders likely shared a long list of complaints about the quality of health care for Native Americans.

We won't call the closed meetings an effort to cover that up, but it certainly does nothing to reassure tribal members or the broader public that the problems are being adequately addressed."
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FUNNYS:

This is mythical and deep.
Truly beautiful...

A man asked an American Indian what was his wife's name.

He replied, "She called Five Horses".

The man said, "That's an unusual name for your wife. What does it mean?"

The Old Indian answered, "It old Indian Name. It mean... NAG, NAG, NAG, NAG, NAG

*~ *~ *~ *~ *~
A Really Bad DayThere was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half of an hour.

Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says, "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry."

"No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a cab to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away."

"I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison."

*~ * ~ *~ *~ *~

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was
really pissed.

She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the
driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!"

The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke
up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box
gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.

Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought
the box back in the house.

She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Bob has been missing since Friday. *~ *~ * ~ *~ *~

A blonde, wanting to earn some money, decided to hire herself out as a handyman-type and started canvassing a wealthy neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any jobs for her to do.

"Well, you can paint my porch. How much will you charge?"
The blonde said, "How about 50 dollars?" The man agreed and told her that the paint and ladders that she might need were in the garage. The man's wife, inside the house, heard the conversation and said to her husband, "Does she realize that the porch goes all the way around the house?"
The man replied, "She should. She was standing on the porch."

A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.
"You're finished already?" he asked. "Yes," the blonde answered, "and I had paint left over, so I gave it two coats. "Impressed, the man reached in his pocket for the $50. "And by the way," the blonde added, "that's not a Porch, it's a Ferrari."

*~ *~ *~ *~ *~
Girls night out

Two women friends had gone out for a Girls Night Out, and had been decidedly over-enthusiastic on the cocktails. Incredibly drunk and walking home they suddenly realized they both needed to pee. They were very near a graveyard and one of them suggested they do their business behind a headstone or something. The first woman had nothing to wipe with so she took off her panties, used them and threw them away. Her friend however was wearing an expensive underwear set and didn't want to ruin hers, but was lucky enough to salvage a large ribbon from a wreath that was on a grave and proceeded to wipe herself with it. After finishing, they made their way home.

The next day the first woman's husband phones the other husband and said, "These damn girls nights out have got to stop. My wife came home last night without her panties." "That's nothing," said the other. "Mine came back with a sympathy card stuck between the cheeks of her butt that said, 'From all of us at the Fire Station, Well never forget you!

*~ *~ *~ *~ * ~

Some of these would make good 'powwow' jokes!!

Two cowboys come upon an Indian lying on his stomach with his ear to the ground.One of the cowboys stops and says to the other, "You see that Indian?" "Yeah," says the other cowboy. "Look," says the first one, "he's listening to the ground. He can hear things for miles in any direction."

Just then the Indian looks up. "Covered wagon," he says,

"about two miles away. Have two horses, one brown, one white. Man, woman, child, household effects in wagon."

"Incredible!" says the cowboy to his friend. "This Indian knows how far away they are, how many horses, what color they are, who is in the wagon, and what is in the wagon. Amazing!"

The Indian looks up and says, "Ran over me about a half hour ago."

*~ *~ *~ *~ * ~

A guy traveling through the prairies of the USA stopped at a small town and went to a bar. He stood at the end of the bar, ordered a drink, and lit up a cigar.

As he sipped his drink, he stood there quietly blowing smoke rings. After he blew nine or ten smoke rings into the air, an angry American Indian stomped up to him and said, "One more remark like that and I'll smash your face in!"

*~ * ~ *~ *~ *~

The tourist was admiring the Indian's necklace.

"What is it made of?" she asked.

"Alligator's teeth," the Indian replied.

"I suppose," she said patronizingly, "that they mean as much to you as pearls do to us."

"Oh, no," he objected. "Anybody can open an oyster."

*~ *~ * ~ *~ *~

"Dad, do you think that the American Indians were superior to the white men who took this land from them?" asked the young boy.

"You bet," replied the father. "When the Indians were the sole occupants of this land, they had no taxes, no national debt, no centralized government, no military draft, no foreign aid programs,no banks, no stock markets, no nuclear weapons, and their women did all the work. What could be more superior to that?"

*~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~

A film crew was on location deep in the desert. One day an Old Indian went up to the director and said,

"Tomorrow rain."

The next day it rained.

A week later, the Indian went up to the director and said, "Tomorrow storm."

The next day there was a hailstorm.

"This Indian is incredible," said the director. He told his secretary to hire the Indian to predict the weather.

However, after several successful predictions, the old Indian didn't show up for two weeks.

Finally the director sent for him. "I have to shoot a big scene tomorrow," said the director, "and I'm depending on you.

What will the weather be like?"

The Indian shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know," he said. "Radio is broken."

*~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~

An Australian travel writer touring Canada was checking out of the Vancouver Hilton, and as he paid his bill said to the manager, "By the way, what's with the Indian chief sitting in the lobby?

He's been there ever since I arrived."

"Oh that's 'Big Chief Forget-me Not'," said the manager.

"The hotel is built on an Indian reservation, and part of the agreement is to allow the chief free use of the premises for the rest of his life. He is known as 'Big Chief Forget-me Not' because of his phenomenal memory. He is 92 and can remember the slightest details of his life."

The travel writer took this in, and as he was waiting for his cab decided to put the chief's memory to the test.
"G'dye, myte!" said the Aussie, receiving only a slight nod in return. "What did you have for breakfast on your 21st birthday?"

"Eggs," was the chief's instant reply, without even looking up, and indeed the Aussie was impressed.

He went off on his travel writing itinerary, right across to the east coast and back, telling others of Big Chief Forget-Me-Not's great memory. (One local noted to him that 'How' was a more appropriate greeting for an Indian chief than'G'dye myte.')

On his return to the Vancouver Hilton six months later, he was surprised to see 'Big Chief Forget-me Not' still sitting in the lobby, fully occupied with whittling away on a stick.

"How," said the Aussie.

"Scrambled," said the Chief.

*~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~

A tourist stopped off at a small railroad station where, sitting by the side of the tracks, there were Indians selling their wares.

The tourist saw a blanket he liked very much, and was told that the price was a hundred dollars. The tourist offered fifty.

The Indian said, "Price is one hundred. Bargains like Manhattan you no get anymore!"

*~ *~ *~ * ~ *~

A Native American Indian came to New York for the first time and checked into a hotel. Tired from a long bus ride, he went right to his room. On the bed was a blanket. The Indian picked it up and walked down to the lobby.

Putting the blanket on the check-in-counter, he told the clerk,

"Last man in room leave overcoat!"

*~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~

Four Indian chiefs went into a restaurant for a bite.

The maitre d' asked, "Do you have a reservation?"
One Indian chief answered, "Certainly. In Arizona!"

* ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~

As the Lone Ranger and Tonto were riding along towards the north, they spotted a war party of 50 Apaches coming at them. They turned south and spotted a war party of 100 braves coming at them. Then, they turned east and spotted a war party of 150 braves coming at them. Finally, they turned west and spotted a war party of 200 braves coming at them.

The Lone Ranger turned to his friend and said, "Well, Tonto, this is the end, there's not much we can do."

Tonto looked back at the Lone Ranger, and replied, "What you mean WE, white man?"

Rinse corn and combine with broth in saucepan; bring to boil. Remove to heat and allow to stand for 2 hours, then cook for 45 minutes. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Drain. Cook onion in drippings. Add to corn and simmer 5 minutes. Add milk, sugar, and salt; sprinkle with bacon.

Mix all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Beat together egg and cheese until smooth, add melted shortening and yeast.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, adding flour mixture slowly and beating vigorously after each addition until stiff dough is formed. Cover dough with cloth and let rise in a warm place for an hour or until double in bulk. Punch dough down, knead for one minute and put into buttered pan or casserole. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Brush top with melted shortening and sprinkle with crushed, roasted pinon nuts or coarse salt.

Mix together in top of double boiler the cornmeal, sugar, salt, milk and margarine. Set over hot water and cook for 10 minutes. Cool. Add eggs, soda (dissolved in water), and apples. Pour into greased baking dish and bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with wild honey.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Invitation

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and
bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like
the company you keep in the empty moments.

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Being Indian is an attitude, a state of mind, a way of being in harmony with all things and all beings.
It is allowing the heart to be the distributor of energy on this planet, to allow feelings and sensitivities to
determine where energy goes: bringing aliveness up from the Earth and from the Sky, putting it in and giving it out fromt he heart"

Pray for all that are incarcerated that they find peace and a new way.

Wisdom for all our Clan Mothers, Chiefs and Council members.

Wisdom for our Spiritual Leaders to help others find their way.

Our troops fighting for our freedom.

Our Ancestors

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KITCHEN MEDICINE:

CARAWAY

Use seeds in food, oil, infusion of seeds, tincture
Two chemicals in caraway seeds have been known to soothe the digestive tract and to help expel gas. It may also be used for relief of menstrual cramps due to the fact that caraway might relax the uterus.
Warnings: none

CATNIP (catnip, catswort, catmint, field balm )

Use infusion of flowers and leaves (for you not your cat )
When used in teas, it is considered a cold and cough remedy because it relieves chest congestion and lessens phlegm.
Warnings: some people may experience upset stomach but catnip is considered non toxic

CHAMOMILE (anthemis, matricaria, ground apple )

Use infusion or tincture of flowers, herbal bath
This herb is a highly used cure all and every household should seriously consider having it around. It has been used externally to treat wounds and inflammations, and internally for indigestion and ulcers. Chamomile is also used to relieve menstrual cramps, arthritis and is an effective sedative.
Warnings: People who have previously suffered anaphylactic reactions from ragweed should think twice about using this herb as well as its close relative yarrow. Large amounts have caused some nausea and vomiting.

CHICORY (endive, chicory )

Makes an excellent salad addition, infusion, tincture
Chicory is most commonly used to reduce the bitter taste of caffeine in coffee. It aids in cleansing the urinary tract, digestion, a mild laxative and is also taken for rheumatic conditions and gout/
Warnings: none

CINNAMON (Ceylon cinnamon, Saigon cinnamon, cassia )

Use infusion of powdered herb, sprinkle on cuts and scrapes for treatment
Cinnamon is used for infection prevention, pain relief, a digestive aid and may help calm the uterus
Warnings: when put on the skin may cause redness and burning

CLOVE (caryophyllus, clavos )

Use as oil , infusion
It has been used for toothaches, oral hygiene, a digestive aid and an infection fighter. It is also used to treat hernia, ringworm and athletes foot.
Warnings: Children under the age of 2 should never be given clove for medicinal purposes. The oil may cause upset stomach when taken internally and rash when used externally.

CORIANDER (cilantro, Chinese parsley )

Use as infusion
Used for indigestion, flatulence , and diarrhea and externally for muscle and joint pains.
Warnings: if coriander cause minor discomforts such as upset stomach use less or stop using it.

One of our old, old holy men said, "Every step you take on earth should be a prayer. The power of a pure and good soul is in every person's heart and will grow as a seed as you walk in a sacred manner. And if every step you take is a prayer, then you will always be walking in a sacred manner.

Charmine White Face (Oglala Lakota 1991)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything is laid out for you. Your path is straight ahead of you. Sometimes it's invisible but it's there. You may not know where it's going, but you have to follow that path. It's the path to the Creator. It's the only path there is.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

I don't know about you but I am patiently waiting for Spring!!!Soon!!!Warm weather, sun and birds singing...my kind of weather.I hope the new season finds you all well.

Everything is waking up from its long sleep.

Happy Spring everyone!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Navajo is new Native link at White House

By Noel Lyn Smith

Navajo Times

Being nervous on your first day at work is normal, but imagine if your boss is President Barack Obama and your new office is in the West Wing of the White House.

When Charlie Galbraith arrived to begin his new job in the White House Office of Public Engagement on Feb. 8, it just happened to be on a day when the president dropped in for a visit.

Galbraith shook Obama's hand and renewed their acquaintance - he had worked on Obama's presidential campaign - before opening his portfolio and getting down to business as an associate director of the Office of Public Engagement and deputy associate director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

The Office of Public Engagement, along with the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, serves as the avenue through which both ordinary Americans and government officials - from local to tribal - can participate in and inform the work of the president.

In essence, Galbraith, 31, serves as the front door to the White House for Indian Country.

He grew up in Phoenix and is Áshiihí (Salt Clan), born for Dághá Lichíí (Irish). His chei is Kinyaa'áanii (Towering House Clan).

He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Arizona State University.

During law school, Galbraith served as vice president of the Native American Law Students Association and clerked for the Native American Rights Fund in Washington, D.C.

He also previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona with a focus on white-collar crime and immigration cases."Instead of talking to a judge every day I'm talking to tribal leaders," he said.

He also worked as a legislative assistant to Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., for three years.

The transition from the Senate to the White House began after Galbraith was approached by a staff member of then Sen. Obama, who wanted to talk about Native American issues. Obama was considering a presidential run and he wanted to focus on groups that traditionally do not have a strong voice in the federal government.

Galbraith went on to serve in Obama's campaign as an organizer of the Native American Domestic Policy Committee, which was a nationwide group of tribal leaders and activists.

He understands that each of the 565 federally recognized tribes has different issues and is looking forward to learning about their cultures.

"They're going to keep me busy," he said of his mission to keep the president current on their issues.

Galbraith is taking over the position from Jodi Gillette, Standing Rock Sioux, who is now deputy assistant secretary for policy and economic development at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Child Burial Provides Rare Glimpse of Early Americans

by Michael Balter

24 February 2011, 2:02 PM

Credit: Ben A. Potter/Universtiy of Alaska, FairbanksAbout 11,500 years ago, at a seasonal base camp in central Alaska, a 3-year-old child died. Its family burned the small body, perhaps ceremonially, in the house's central hearth, and then they moved on, never to use the home again.

Last year, archaeologists discovered the remains of the house and burial, providing a rare slice of life of the first Americans. Some aspects of the burial resemble those in both Siberia and North America, but in other respects the new find is completely unique. And it may ultimately reveal any genetic links between these early Alaskans and other so-called Paleoindians in North America.

At least 14,000 years ago, humans began moving from Siberia into Alaska, crossing a land bridge over what is now the Bering Sea and then colonizing both North and South America. But the bones and burials of these ancient Alaskans are vanishingly rare, as are the remains of their houses. While excavating at the site of Upward Sun River, near the Tanama River in central Alaska, archaeologist Ben Potter of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and his colleagues discovered the outlines of the foundation of a circular house, including a scattering of stone tools and animal bones on the floor and traces of posts that may have held up the walls and roof. As the team reports in this week's issue of Science, the center of the house was taken up with a large circular pit containing the fragmented, partially burnt bones of the child.

Underneath the human burial, the team found the charred remains of fish including salmon, small mammals such as ground squirrels, and birds such as grouse—all apparently cooked in the hearth before the child was buried in it. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal puts the pit at about 11,500 years old; the eruption of the child's teeth suggests that it was about 3 years old when it died. The burial contained no grave goods, but two small pieces of ochre may have been part of a ritual burial ceremony.

The team surmises that the site served as a summer residence for a small social group, in contrast to more temporary hunting camps typical of many other Paleoindian sites. The pit probably served as both a cooking hearth and a place to dispose of food scraps. But once the child died and its body was cremated there, the people apparently abandoned this house and hearth.

From this era, archaeologists know of only one other burial in Alaska and also only one in Siberia. Two children were buried, one with ochre, in separate houses at the 13,000-year-old Siberian site of Ushki, although those bodies were not cremated. Cremations are known from two North American sites slightly later than Upward Sun River, Marmes in Washington state and Spirit Cave in Nevada, but they were not in houses. Upward Sun River is the only known site with a cremation inside a house, Potter says. "The constellation of behaviors is thus far unique in North America."

Archaeologist John Hoffecker of the University of Colorado, Boulder, agrees. "It's a tremendously interesting find," Hoffecker says. "This is the first time we've seen anything like this so early."

Thanks to good cooperation with local Native peoples, who in some other cases have been wary of scientific analysis of ancient remains, Potter and his team are now analyzing ancient DNA from the child's bones, about 20% of which were not burned. (The local Healy Lake Tribe named the site Upward Sun River, or Xaasaa Na' in the local Athabascan language, and Potter changed his own name for the site to reflect theirs.) If scientists succeed in getting DNA from the child's bones, they might be able to compare it with other Paleoindian bones found farther south. That could give more detailed clues about the routes that the earliest Americans used as they spread down through North America and how closely related these early Alaskans were to ancient humans of the lower 48. "That would be a bombshell," Hoffecker says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Federal eagle repository deals with backlog of 6000 requests

Friday, February 25, 2011

The National Eagle Repository in Colorado responded to more than 3,000 requests for eagle feathers and eagle parts last year.

But that still wasn't enough to reduce the backlog. The repository, which is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has more than 6,000 order to fill, meaning it could take years to secure feathers or parts.

Only members of federally recognized tribes can request eagle feathers or parts from the repository.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Original BIA records dumped in trash at National Archives in DC

Thursday, February 24, 2011

In September 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration launched an investigation to determine how original Bureau of Indian Affairs documents ended up in a trash can.

It doesn't appear any progress has been made in over four years, however. The Washington Post reports that NARA still doesn't know whether the records were dumped intentionally or whether it was an accident.

The records were discovered in a trash can at the National Archives headquarters in Washington, D.C. The BIA at the time said it wasn't responsible because the documents weren't in its custody.

As part of the Indian trust fund lawsuit, the BIA was under a court order to preserve all documents.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today in history

Feb. 11, 1805 – Sacagawea, Shoshone interpreter and guide on the Lewis and Clark expedition, gave birth to her first child, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, while the expedition was camped on the Upper Missouri River. She was the wife of a French trapper and daughter of a Shoshone chief whose territory was near the Continental Divide (in parts of Montana and Idaho). She was assisted in the birth by Meriweather Lewis, who often acted as the expedition’s doctor. Lewis worried because her labor was long and the painful, so he mixed a small amount of rattlesnake rattle with water and gave it to Sacagawea because he heard it speeded the process.

“She had not taken [the mixture] more than ten minutes before she brought forth,” Lewis happily reported. The baby, nicknamed “Pomp and Pompey” by Clark, accompanied his mother on every step of their epic journey to the Pacific and back. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau led a colorful life. At one point, he accompanied a German prince to Europe.

But most of his adult life he hunted, guided and trapped throughout the American West. He died of unknown cause in 1866 as he travelled from Auburn, Cali., where he spent years mining gold, to an unknown destination in Montana. Read more about his life here

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born at Fort Mandan, North Dakota, on the Missouri River. His father was Toussaint Charbonneau, a French trapper, and his mother was Sacagawea, a Shoshoni woman who had been kidnapped by the Hidatsa a few years before. It was said that Charbonneau “won” her on a wager. Perhaps not, but it is a fact that she became his second Native American wife.

Such unions between white “mountain men” and trappers with Indian women was fairly common. In the normal course of events, Jean Baptiste would have lived out his life in obscurity. But that changed when the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived at Fort Mandan to stop for the winter of 1804-1805. Co-leaders Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were exploring the west, hoping to make it to the Pacific Ocean. Toussaint was hired as an interpreter, and Sacagawea was allowed to come along, because the explorers knew they would have to get horses from her people at the headwaters of the Missouri.

“Pompy” and the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Jean Baptiste was born on February 11, 1805. Lewis notes the event in his journal, saying that “one of the wives of Chabono” (sic) delivered a fine boy. It seems the labor was long and painful, since it was her first child. To ease the delivery Sacagawea was given some rattlesnake rattle broken up in water. Some ten minutes later Jean Baptiste came into the world. In spite of the timing, Lewis remained understandably skeptical of the “medicine.”

Lewis seems to have had little liking for Indians, but Clark was different. He was delighted with the baby boy, who he nicknamed “Pomp” or “Pompey.” On his return from the Pacific, Clark named an unusual sandstone pillar in Montana "Pompey's Tower" (later Pillar) in the boy’s honor

Jean Baptiste’s Youth and Early Manhood

William Clark took the boy under his wing, paying for his education at the St Louis Academy. When his parents went back west, young Charbonneau stayed behind in St Louis to complete his education. Clark became a kind of foster father to the lad. His mother Sacagawea probably died in 1812. There is some controversy about when his father Toussaint died, but it was probably in the 1840s.

When Jean Baptiste was 18 he met Prince Paul Wilhelm von Wurttemburg, The German royal was something of a naturalist, and he was on a study tour of the American west. Prince Paul took a liking to Jean Baptiste, and took him back to Europe. The young American lived in Europe for six years, in the process learned Spanish, German, and French.

The Fur Trade and Mountain Men

Jean Baptiste returned home and began trapping for the American Fur Company in Idaho and Utah. He was not only fluent in Spanish and French, but also knew several Native American tongues. This made him invaluable as an army scout and guide. Jean Baptiste became one of the “mountain men,” trappers, explorers, and guides to helped open the west. It is know he associated with fellow mountain men, legendary figures like Jim Bridger.

The Mexican War and California Gold Rush

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was one of two guides selected to lead the Mormon Battalion from New Mexico to San Diego, California during the Mexican War. He stayed on for the California Gold Rush, but apparently did not strike it rich. Most “49ers” got little to show for their efforts. It was the merchants who supplied the miners, not miners themselves, who usually got wealthy. Jean Baptist ended up a clerk at the Orleans Hotel in Auburn, California. Given his background, he must have hated the job.

In 1866 there was another gold strike in Montana, and the end of the Bozeman Trail. Jean Baptiste left California and joined the new “rush,” probably in hopes of recouping his fortunes. Maybe he just sought adventure. But Jean Baptiste Chabonneau never made it. He contracted pneumonia and died en route at the age of sixty-one.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma signed an agreement to repatriate 124 ancestors that were removed from their resting place in Mississippi.

The remains were uncovered along the Natchez Trace Parkway in the 1950s and 1960s. They will finally be reburied in Mississippi.

"Our graves to be sacred--our ancestors burial spots to be sacred and part of that is to protect them and because native people were taken off of our land, we can't do that always," tribal archaeologist Ian Thompson said at a ceremony yesterday, KTEN-TV reported.

The tribe reclaimed its ancestors through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wiyot Tribe holding annual candlelight vigil for Indian Island

The Times-Standard

Posted: 02/25/2011 01:27:22 AM PST

As the community gathers to remember the Indian Island tragedy this weekend, the Wiyot Tribe is making progress on restoring the land.

The 20th annual Indian Island Candlelight Vigil will be held Saturday on Woodley Island. The event attracts hundred of people each year, rain or shine, and ends with a potluck at Runeberg Hall, located at Wabash Avenue and Union Street in Eureka.

The vigil starts at 5 p.m., and the potluck starts at 7 p.m. According to the tribe, attendees should bring a candle.

Indian Island was once a site for the tribe's World Renewal Ceremony, a dance ceremony lasting seven to 10 days. After a ceremony in 1860, a group of local Eureka men went to the island and killed sleeping men, women and children.

Partially contaminated by toxins -- wood preservatives used by a boat repair facility that once occupied the area -- the original ceremonial grounds need to be restored before the tribe can use the land again.

In 2000, the tribe began efforts to restore the area. When the decontamination project, called the Tuluwat Restoration Project after the village that once stood there, is finished there will be housing structures, a new dock and bulkhead to allow for better access, and restoration measures to improve the area's natural habitat.

Stephen Kullmann, the tribe's environmental director, said the tribe began working on the bulkhead reconstruction this month.

The California Coastal Commission approved the first phase of the project in July 2008. According to a commission staff report, the first phase consists of repairing the bulkhead, removing debris and demolishing various dilapidated structures on the site, excavating contaminated soil, and installing a protective soil and geotextile cap over a majority of the parcel.

In August 2008, the tribe was able to remove contaminated soil and begin work on the installation of fiberglass pilings for the cap, but issues with funding slowed the project down.

Kullmann said the completion of the bulkhead will allow for a staging area for the rest of the work. He expects to be finished with the bulkhead in a few weeks -- weather permitting -- before moving on to pilings, which address erosion, and the cap.

Kullmann said the tribe is in discussions with various agencies about securing additional funds for the project.

”Everyone's strapped for money these days, but there are some positive things,” he said.

For more information on Saturday's event, call 733-5055.

Donna Tam can be reached at 441-0532 or dtam@times-standard.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There need be no trouble.

Treat all men alike.

Give them all the same law.

Give them all an even chance

to live and grow.

All men were made

by the same Great Spirit Chief.

They are all brothers.

The earth is the mother of all people

and all people should have equal rights upon it.

Chief Joseph (Nez Perce) 1879

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Bamm Brewer: Some memories of the annual Crazy Horse Ride

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The following article by Bamm Brewer, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, first appeared in the Lakota Country Times.

As smoke drifted thru the tipi poles and the warm sun rays shined, the camp was slowly coming to life. There was only a few riders moving around early, after two days of a long ride it was great to know it was a day of rest. The night was a long one. There was a low fog and everything was soaked, but the first person I saw was a smiley faced kid looking for his horse and that is what we were all about.

I rolled over and remember wishing for just a couple more hours of sleep. I was never a late sleeper but this was one time I wish I was. If I never felt age I was feeling it now. I hoped we had a dry ride ahead, but rain was always a part of our journey.

Next someone came over to see if we had any coffee, we didn’t even stand up yet. Then I heard someone talking they had a tough night .They were talking and the tone of their voice made me listen closer. They were talking in Indian, and I could make out some of it. As it seemed, they were saying some of the horses got out last night and in the dark some of the boys went after them.

We always left the horses secure and it was the young warriors duty to watch them throughout the night. They said something that ran a chill down my back. It was said the young boys who went up there on foot to get the horses, they were having some trouble the horses ran farther away into the night. The boys continued after the horses. Then a rider showed up out there in the dark! They couldn’t see the rider it was too dark, but the rider was trying to help them .They kept saying there was someone out there helping them. Whoever it was turned those horses around and they don’t know which way they went after that, or who it was. That was the morning mystery; it was the talk around that morning coffee pot.

That camp is a special place to the Lakota. Most of those kinds of experiences we thought we were used to after 10 years, but that one was a good one. You kind of give it a whirl in your mind then let it settle, there's no way to shake off a mystical experience like that, especially when you know you’re at the Crazy Horse Camp. It’s the kind of feeling we try to hold onto as long as we can. In a camp where yesterday meets today and we are one with our ancestors.

It had been a long time ago that Crazy Horse camped in the Beaver Creek area, in 2011 the people will ride again on June 5 through June 9; coming into the camp on the afternoon of June 7. The area was rich with game and good water and it provided a sheltered place from the hardest winters. The surrounding hills were loaded with big bucks, turkey, rabbits, and to the north in the plains were the antelope and buffalo. If ever there was a warrior camp this was it. The Beaver valley grew ash trees providing good hard wood for the camp. The camp was known to be a favorite camp of Crazy Horse and the people; it was also a Sundance ground, today in the month of June the people return once again. The camp in all its beauty is still there today. A historical landmark preserved and protected by the Kadelchek family north of Hay Springs Nebraska.

In 2010 on the rest night the Thunder beings spoke for three straight hours and the sound of washing rain gave the riders a wide awake night. I mean the thunders rolled a constant rumble for three straight hours. I knew morning would come fast after a night like that. I remember a constant hard down pour, everything soaked and horses singing with the rain into the night. The only time I could see anything was when the lightning would flash. Everyone had to duck into tents when that rain started. I came outside of the tipi to check on the situation and all looked normal, just a soaking wet camp. It was the Crazy Horse Ride alright.

Everyone took shelter and the camp kitchen tent, courtesy of John Two Bulls, was providing shelter for those that didn’t want to go to tents. It was always fun staying up late and visiting around a camp fire and a pot of coffee even in the rain, but when it started to rain really hard later that night everyone vanished. There wasn’t anyone over at the cooks’ tent anymore and it looked like I was the only one up when that rain hit. I walked up on the hill above the camp and when the lightning flashed, I knew that even as deserted as the camp looked it was not so, this was the Crazy Horse Ride and in this camp there were over 200 Lakota riders.

The sun always shined more than the rains drenched us and as the people always said when it rained; “it is a cleansing of the earth and the people” The nights were always something to remember on the Crazy Horse Ride. There is always some great laughter sitting around those crackling camp fires.

When the drum group pulled out the drum on a starry night that always brought us closer to the grandfathers; a 49 song or original camp honor song always stopped you in your tracks and you could feel it in your heart. The Cheyenne creek singers were always there from the start, Bull, Tim, Rob and John and what was great they weren’t just the drum group they rode too.

They’d sing into the night and then start out the next day’s ride with a prayer song. These guys were always a ton of laughs, when there not under the arbor they are sitting atop a green broke bronc. Anyway as I would often walk around camp I would stop at their camp for our usual joker session. It was always fun to see who was riding what horse; Brian Dean always had someone on a bronc in that camp.

This part of the journey is always my favorite, the people really come together and learn to travel as one oyate.In the beginning we may travel a little spread out, but by the time we get to the Beaver Valley area the people are closer. I really admired them for that togetherness, as today I see that to be one of our many difficulties. A difficulty that can be overcome and this is one event that can teach togetherness and team work. Great team work and the togetherness of our people are the heart and soul of the Crazy Horse Ride. To all the sponsors, cooks and supporters we would not have been able to do this event without you. All the Oyate coming together has been a Crazy Horse Ride Tradition. A tradition that echoes through the Beaver Valley.

Many times as I rode along I looked at our people and I was overwhelmed with pride, as they all came to ride for Crazy Horse and our Veterans. This was the whole reason we done this every year, because of our warrior people and what they stood for. In honor of all veterans and Crazy Horse we committed ourselves to this journey; a journey that has brought us closer to our ancestors and gave recognition to the real heroes of today, our veterans.

In a modern time when our youth really struggle with the difficulties of growing up, here is an event that has been a cultural, educational and spiritual experience for our youth. Our journey has seen some rough spots with injuries and accidents; I thank all of our people for your dedications to our Veterans and Crazy Horse. I have seen the people come together, we forgot anything that was negative or the hardships in our lives, I know some of those injuries were serious and the horse that we lost was a beautiful war pony. We continued on through it all to say thank you to those Veterans who returned from the battle fields, and to remember what Crazy Horse stood for. We took our youth on a journey back into who they really are, the future generation of the Lakota Nation.

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"We've got to learn what's going on today in the world, and we've got to get an education so we can survive."

-- Jimmy Jackson, OJIBWA

Indian people have the ability to adapt. In these modern times, we Native people must walk two roads. We must get educated so our people don't lose. We need lawyers, doctors, nurses, foresters, scientists, educators, carpenters, welders. These skills are needed to help the people. While we are learning we need to remember to keep our culture, learn our dances, sing our songs, learn to speak our own language and maintain our culture for future generations.

Great Spirit, let my education never lack the meaning and value of Indian spirituality.

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Republican lawmaker wants to put tobacco tax on Idaho tribes

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney (R) introduced a bill that would force tribes to collect the state's tobacco tax.

Denney doesn't want customers to go to reservations just to find cheaper cigarettes. His bill raises the state's tax to $1.25 per pack and requires tribes to pay the same on tobacco sold to non-Indians.

“It’s sending us the wrong message, by dropping a bill without consulting us,” Chief Allan, the chairman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, told The Spokesman Review. “We seem to be taking a step backward again.”

The Idaho Council on Indian Affairs voted to ask the House Revenue and Taxation Committee to put a hold on the bill to give time to consult tribes.

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National Park Service names Alaska Native woman as liaison

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The National Park Service has named Jean Gamache as tribal liaison for the Alaska region.

Gamache is a member of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska. She has worked for the Region 9 Tribal Program Office at the Environmental Protection Agency and also for the EPA's Alaska Operations Office.

Gamache starts work March 13 in Anchorage.

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Medical marijuana is legal in Montana except in Indian Country

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Medical marijuana use is growing in Montana but members of federally recognized tribes face legal consequences if they use the drug on reservations.

The Montana Medical Marijuana Program allows certain patients with specific medical conditions to alleviate their symptoms through the limited use of marijuana under medical supervision. Marijuana, however, remains illegal under federal law in Indian Country.

That means tribal members with state-issued medical marijuana cards must leave their reservations to use the drug. But non-Indians can use the drug on reservations without consequence because federal prosecutors are not pursuing medical marijuana cases under the Obama administration.

Members of the Fort Belknap Indian Community and the Chippewa Cree Tribe have sought to legalize marijuana under tribal laws. Tribal leaders are reluctant to change their laws because federal funding for housing and other programs is often tied to anti-drug requirements.

"As long as we need federal funding, we can't allow medical marijuana on the reservation," Chippewa Cree Bruce Sunchild told The Great Falls Tribune.

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ANIMAL SPIRIT GUIDE

MONTH OF MARCH 2011.....WEASEL

Keynote:Sly and Secret. Circumvention and/or pursuit

Cycle of power:nocturnal

The weasel is graceful, solitary and very silent.Weasel people may often be loners.Their ability for silence enables them to go unseen and unheard, even in the company of others.Because of this, things are said and done in front of weasel people without others realizing.

Weasel can show you how to use your powers of silent observation to sniff out what is hidden or secretive without anyone being the wiser.

Weasel has the medicine for seeking out secrets.Trust your own senses in regard to other people and you will come out all right, even if it means going alone.This is part of what weasel teaches.

Ferocity is probably greatest among the weasel family off all mammals.Mothers will even attack humans if they feel their young are threatened.

Weasels usually bite their prey on the neck and hang on until the spinal cord is cut or until the damage is done.Weasel people, if angered, do not hesitate to attack in some way.This can be verbal and cut deep and sureand inflict lasting wounds.

Weasels are naturally silent when hunting but they have a wide range of vocalizations.The worse thing an individual can do is to assume that a weasel person is weak simply because he/she is silent.

When weasel shows up as your spirit/totem, examine your life.Do you need to develop your observation skills?Are you being too vocal in your pursuits?Telling others about your goals will undermine your won pursuit of them.Are you not digging hard enough?Is there a narrow space that you may have to squeeze through?Are you missing the obvious?Are you not trusting your own feelings and senses?

Weasel medicine awakens your innate ability for silent and secret observation.It can teach you how to pursue your goals on any level with the greatest success.

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Native American Hoop Dance

Participants in the 2005 World Hoop dance championship at the Heard Museum.Native American Hoop Dance is a form of storytelling dance incorporating anywhere from one to thirty hoops as props, which are used to create both static and dynamic shapes, or formations, representing various animals, shapes, and storytelling elements. It is generally performed by a solo dancer with many hoops. The first World Hoop Dance Competition was held at the New Mexico State Fair in 1991. The first World Champion Hoop Dancer was Eddie Swimmer, a Cherokee from Cherokee, North Carolina. The venue was moved to the Heard Museum in Arizona for the second event and the first adult winner of what was to become the permanent venue was Quentin Pipestem of the Tsuu T'ina Nation in Alberta, Canada.

During the dance, shapes are formed in storytelling ritual such as the butterfly, the eagle, the snake, and the coyote, with the hoop symbolizing the never-ending circle of life. Native American Hoop dance focuses on very rapid moves, and the construction of hoop formations around and about the body. The hoops used are typically of very small diameter (1-2.5 feet). In elaborate sequences of moves, the hoops are made to interlock, and in such a way they can be extended from the body of the dancer to form appendages such as wings and tails. The hoops are often handmade by the dancers out of simple plastic piping (though some are made of wood) and wrapped in colorful tapes, similar to the construction techniques used by non-Native American hoop-based dances.

Thelma Rios, longtime Lakota advocate who was recently convicted of being an accessory in the Annie Mae Aquash murder case, died Wednesday in Rapid City of complications from lung cancer.

Randy Connelly represented Rios, 65, when she pleaded guilty in November to being an accessory in the kidnapping of Aquash, an American Indian Movement activist murdered in 1975. The Rapid City criminal defense attorney has known Rios since the 1970s and called her death a "sad day" for the Lakota people on whose behalf Rios often worked.

"She was a warrior. There was no greater warrior for her people and her fellow man than Thelma. She assisted her people in many, many ways," Connelly said Thursday.

Rios died at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday of complications from lung cancer at Rapid City Regional Hospital, according to a family member. She was in poor health late last year when she avoided a trial on murder charges in the Aquash case by agreeing to a plea bargain that acknowledged her role in the events leading up to Aquash's death. In an agreement between prosecutors and defense attorneys, she was sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison, most of which was suspended. She spent 90 days in the Pennington County Jail following her arrest in September 2009.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley extended his condolences on Thursday to the Rios family and said he didn't expect her death to affect any possible future charges in the Aquash case.

"While I do not condone the criminal venture that kidnapped and executed a young mother, it is important to recognize Ms. Rios' acceptance of responsibility for her involvement and her willingness through the plea agreement to provide assistance to authorities," he said in an e-mail to the Journal. "The prosecution has overcome many evidentiary challenges stemming from this 35-year murder case, and while this certainly may give rise to future evidentiary issues, I do not anticipate it will have an overall effect on holding those involved in this brutal murder responsible for their actions."

Spearfish attorney Matt Kinney said Rios was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after he negotiated her plea agreement, which was sealed by the judge at the request of both prosecutors and defense attorneys.

"I think it was fortunate that we were able to spare her from a trial," Kinney said.

Kinney assumes that there are ongoing state or federal investigations of other suspects in the Aquash case, but neither he nor Connelly expect that Rios's testimony will play a role in further prosecutions.

"All along I never felt that Thelma's role in the Aquash case was very extensive. I don't believe she knew very much. I thought the government's case against her was very thin," Kinney said.

Now that Rios is deceased, it remains to be resolved if any of her statements in the case would be admissible in court, Kinney said.

Connelly said Rios' conviction in the case cast an unfair shadow over her life, which he described as "filled with character and integrity."

"It puts an improper and unfortunate punctuation to the end of her life. It truly, truly does," he said. "Her involvement, I've always believed, was totally unwitting in a sense."

Ryan White Feather, a close friend and distant relative of Rios's, said she was well-known as a Native American advocate.

"Thelma had done a lot of great things in Rapid City long before AIM came here," White Feather said.

Connelly doubts that Rios knew how little time she had left to live when she agreed to the plea.

"She hadn't been diagnosed but knew she was having problems and was aware her health was failing," Connelly said. "Whether the stress of the charges exacerbated or aggravated the cancer, I wouldn't know. But I know it was very hard on her."

"Her desire was to spend what time she had with her family. I don't think she did know how little time that was."

An all night wake for Rios will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at the Mother Butler Center in Rapid City with a service at 7 p.m.

The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Edstrom & Rooks Funeral Service at Serenity Springs, Chapel of Tranquility with Rev. Brad Abelseth officiating. Interment will be in Pine Lawn Memorial Park in Rapid City.

The ER Doctor got her into a position where he could study how to free

her (Try to get a mental picture of this.).

Lucy tried to lighten the embarrassment of it all by saying, "Well, Doctor,

I'll bet you've never seen anything like this before."

The Doctor replied, "Actually, I've seen lots of them. I just never saw one mounted and framed."

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FUNNY:

Subject: Fw: Being polite

During one of her daily college classes, a teacher trying to teach good manners, asked one of her students the following question:

"Michael, if you were on a date having dinner with a nice young lady, how would you tell her that you have to go to the bathroom ?" Michael said, "Just a minute, I have to go pee." The teacher responded by saying, "That would be rude and impolite.

What about you Sherman, how would you say it ?" Sherman said, "I am sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." "That's better, but it's still not very nice to say the word bathroom at the dinner table.

And you, little Edward, can you use your brain for once and show us your good manners?" I would say, 'Darling, may I please be excused for a moment ? I have to shake hands with a very dear friend of mine whom I hope to introduce you to after dinner.'"

The teacher fainted.

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KITCHEN TIPS:

1. Line the bottom of your refrigerator’s crisper drawer with paper towels. They’ll absorb the excess moisture that causes vegetables to rot.

2. To keep herbs tasting fresh for up to a month, store whole bunches, washed and sealed in plastic bags, in the freezer. When you need them, they’ll be easier to chop, and they’ll defrost the minute they hit a hot pan.

3. A bay leaf slipped into a container of flour, pasta, or rice will help repel bugs.

4. Stop cheese from drying out by spreading butter or margarine on the cut sides to seal in moisture. This is most effective with hard cheeses sealed in wax.

5. When radishes, celery, or carrots have lost their crunch, simply pop them in a bowl of iced water along with a slice of raw potato and watch the limp vegetables freshen up right before your eyes.

6. Avoid separating bananas until you plan to eat them – they spoil less quickly in a bunch.

7. Put rice in your saltshaker to stop the salt from hardening. The rice absorbs condensation that can cause clumps.

8. Stock up on butter when it’s on sale – you can store it in the freezer for up to six months. Pack the butter in an airtight container, so it doesn’t take on the flavor of whatever else you’re freezing.

9. In order to make cottage cheese or sour cream last longer, place the container upside down in the fridge. Inverting the tub creates a vacuum that inhibits the growth of bacteria that causes food to spoil.

10. Believe it or not, honey is the only nonperishable food substance, so don’t get rid of the stuff if it crystallizes or becomes cloudy. Microwave on medium heat, in 30-second increments, to make honey clear again.

11. Prevent extra cooked pasta from hardening by stashing it in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerating. When you’re ready to serve, throw the pasta in boiling water for a few seconds to heat and restore moisture.

12. Keeping brown sugar in the freezer will stop it from hardening. But if you already have hardened sugar on your shelf, soften it by sealing in a bag with a slice of bread – or by microwaving on high for 30 seconds.

13. If you only need a few drops of lemon juice, avoid cutting the lemon in half – it will dry out quickly. Instead, puncture the fruit with a metal skewer and squeeze out exactly what you require.

14. If you’re unsure of an egg’s freshness, see how it behaves in a cup of water: Fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

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Lower Triglycerides Naturally with This Sandwich Topping

By RealAge

Do you usually ask for tomatoes with your turkey on whole wheat? Make it a habit and your triglycerides could benefit.

In a study, young adults who consumed lots of fresh tomatoes experienced lower triglyceride levels -- and higher HDL (good) cholesterol levels. And after only 6 weeks!

You Say Tomato

Participants in the study noshed on lots of tomatoes every day -- almost 3 cups of the fresh fruit. So top your salads with cherry tomatoes, add slices to your sandwiches, and dice up a bunch of fresh tomatoes for a pico de gallo snack. You could throw in some tomato juice for good measure, as well. In the study, people who drank 2 1/2 cups of tomato juice daily experienced similar benefits -- and lower LDL cholesterol levels!

Talkin' About Tomatoes

Tomatoes and tomato juice are rich in phenols -- and researchers credit these disease-fighting compounds with helping to keep unhealthful blood fats in check. Although the mechanism behind it all is not yet understood, one thing is certain: Optimal cholesterol levels can help stave off heart and blood vessel disease.

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PRAY FOR:

Chief Strong Horse...health

Tony Cricket...health

Chief Snake...health, wisdom and strength

Spirit...health, wisdom and strength

Kevin...health (Annie)

Barbara...health and healing

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We send out prayers for Anyone and everyone without adequate heat for their homes, that they may stay warm and comfortable through this very harsh and unpredictable winter.

Dancing Night Crow

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Prayers for wisdom and understanding for our council members and all Chiefs

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Prayers for all that are incarcerated that they find peace and a new way.

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Wisdom for our Spiritual Leader so he can show the way back to the 'road'

WASHINGTON Mazda has fingered an unusual culprit in its new safety recall - a spider.

The Japanese automaker is recalling more than 50,000 Mazda6 cars from the 2009-2010 model years. The company says a spider could weave a web in a vent connected to the fuel tank system and clog up the tank's ventilation. Pressure on the fuel tank could lead to a crack, causing fuel leakage and the risk of a fire.

Mazda told the government it had received two reports about problems with the tank. In one of the cases, a spider web was found in the vent.

The recall involves vehicles built from April 2008 and February 2010.

It teaches a new respect for the spider!!What powers!!!:>)

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Dixon Palmer, Kiowa artist from Oklahoma, passes on at age 90

Friday, March 4, 2011

Dixon Palmer, a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, died on Thursday. He was 90.

Palmer was an artist, dancer and tepee maker. His tepee work was featured in the Southern Plains Indian Museum and at the Smithsonian Institution.

Palmer was a leader of the Black Leggings Warrior Society, spokesperson Patrick Redbird told The Oklahoman.

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Police seek information on Native man missing since November

Friday, March 4, 2011

Police in Billings, Montana, are asking the public to help find Timothy Scott Roundstone Jr., a 21-year-old Native man who has been missing since November 2010.

Roundstone was last seen leaving a friend's apartment on November 19, a night of a heavy snowstorm. He never made it home.

"There's been nothing broadcast lately and we've just kind of been hoping for longer breaks in the weather where we can get out there," stepfather Chad Caldwell told The Billings Gazette. "All we can do is search the places we've already searched because there's no new information."

“To have that many family members not only have heart disease, but in the same age range and all five needing bypasses is very unusual,” Dr. John Harvey, president and chief executive of Oklahoma Heart Hospital, told The Oklahoman.

Genetics plays a role -- American Indians are twice as likely to develop heart disease, which is the number one killer in Indian Country. But lifestyle is also a major factor, so the siblings are trying to eat better and exercise more.

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Fort Mojave Tribe revives lawsuit over sacred place in California

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Fort Mojave Tribe filed a new lawsuit to protect one of its most sacred sites.

The tribe says the California Department of Toxic Substances Control is violating a settlement that was reached in 2006. The tribe says the state has failed to remove and clean up a $15 million water treatment plant built on top of Topock Maze, a series of rock formations and lines that is considered the portal into heaven.

The plant is operated by Pacific Gas & Electric, which apologized in 2006 for harming the sacred site.

"Instead of the polluter paying for the damage, it'll end up being the tribe's religious practices and cultural values that take the hit and that's not right," tribal attorney Courtney Ann Coyle told the Associated Press. "PG&E and DTSC can do better."

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Kevin Abourezk: Tribes in Nebraska oppose tobacco taxation bill

Thursday, March 3, 2011

"When Lance Morgan went to work for his tribe in 1992, the Winnebago Tribe had just $180,000 in discretionary funds.

The Harvard law graduate helped create businesses and jobs, and the tribe now employs nearly 2,000 people and generates more than $200 million in annual revenue.

On Wednesday, Morgan went to the state Capitol to fight for a portion of that revenue, about $250,000 in taxes the tribe collects each year on cigarette sales that are being targeted by a legislative bill.

"It's something that we want to fight for," said Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., his tribe's economic arm.

Introduced by Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island, LB590 would require tribes to make payments to Nebraska in order for the state to continue receiving millions of dollars each year through a national settlement agreement that was reached with the four largest tobacco companies in 1998.

Nebraska is fighting the tobacco companies over demands that states force smaller tobacco companies, including those operated by tribes, to also make payments to the states for smoking-related medical costs, said David Cookson, chief deputy attorney general."

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Nakia Zavalla: Chumash Tribe seeks to protect our sacred places

Thursday, March 3, 2011

"At the end of last year our tribe commemorated the winter solstice with a ceremony that included traditional songs, prayers and celebration.

Celebrations that usher in a new season are not new to our tribe. John Peabody Harrington, an American linguist, ethnologist and a specialist in California tribes, noted a conversation with Maria Solares, a Santa Ynez Chumash ancestor, about such events.

As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, Harrington gathered more than one million pages of notes on tribes and when the technology became available, he supplemented his written documents with audio recordings — first using wax cylinders, then aluminum discs. Among the many conversations Harrington recorded with Maria Solares was a discussion about the Chumash tribe’s winter solstice ceremony.

She told Harrington that the winter solstice is one of the special times of the year for Chumash people. She said that ancestors would go to sacred areas and erect feather poles made with the finest magpie and eagle feathers. The feathers were placed on top of the feather pole and they also strung three different kinds of beads on a string and used tar to wrap it at the base of the pole.

The best dancer was selected to dance with the feather pole in a blessing ritual. She told Harrington that the elders said the sun returns and on the night of the fiesta, the crier announces the sun’s return.

While our winter solstice celebration was an elder’s luncheon held at our Tribal Hall, in the days of our ancestors, celebrations were often held at sacred sites, or shrines."

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Bill would address impact of gaming on three Connecticut towns

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Three towns near tribal casinos would be eligible for a greater share of state funds under a bill in the Connecticut Legislature.

Preston, Ledyard and Montville are located near the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe. HB5784 would increase their share of payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, grants to address the impacts of land-into-trust and Indian gaming.

“The benefits of the casinos are shared by 169 towns, yet the costs and responsibilities of hosting the casinos fall disproportionately to two small towns, Ledyard and Montville,” State Rep. Tom Reynolds (D) said at a public hearing, The New London Day reported. “HB5784 would help towns meet their financial obligations as casino host communities without requiring state funds and without a significant impact on other towns.”

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William Kelly, a descendant of last Maidu chief, dies in California

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

William Kelly, a descendant of Maidu Chief Kelly, died in Nevada City, California, after complaining that police took his bedding gear. He was 51.

Kelly's frozen body was found under a bridge on Sunday night. It's not clear when he died, or how he died, The Grass Valley Union reported, but friends and others in the homeless community were concerned that he was sleeping without his gear in cold temperatures.

“To take his blankets away, you might as well have held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” a woman who didn't want to be named for fear of retaliation by police told the paper. Another homeless man died on a freezing cold night in January.

Kelly was a descendant of Chief Kelly, who is known as the last Maidu chief. Chief Kelly Road in Nevada City is named for the late chief.

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RECIPES:

Rosemary Marinated Steak

1 serloin buffalo steak

1 tbsp. dried rosemary

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup olive oil

Marinate steak in sauce for about 2 hours and leave the meat out so all can come to room temperature.Barbecue on hot coals

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Bar-B-Que BUFFALO

4-5 lb. buffalo chuck roast

Pat the sides and top of a chuck roast with brown sugar.Wrap in foil and cook 10 hours at 225-250*F.Separate into large chuncks.

Combine cooking juices with the following sauce and marinate meat for 4 hours